(Debby)
Here are some books I read in December (lots of plane rides) but didn't get around to writing about.

A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian – Is awesome. The book’s cover is full of praises by prominent people, in which the book is described as ‘hilarious’ and ‘comic’, etc. I don’t know about that. But it is a really great story, told really perfectly.

The Woman in White – Wilkie Collins – Eh. I didn’t finish it. Somehow a let down, coming right after The Moonstone, which is totally and utterly awesome. Sometimes a book written in the 1800s totally rocks the 1800s and surprises me with 'modern' sensibilities and has a great sense of humor not like the 1900s or the 2000s. And then sometimes a book written in the 1800s is just kind of boring and wrapped up in its own sensibilties.

Underground – Haruki Murakami – The first non-fiction book I’ve read by Murakami. About the underground sarin gas attacks in Japan. Highly recommended.

The Body (short stories) – Hanif Kureishi – The problem is that I read this right after The Moonstone, and I felt strongly afterwards that I was better off sticking with pre-modern life lit. But to be fair, short stories always put me in a weird head space. And short stories that are extremely good at conveying a sense of modern alienation makes that weird head space even more uncomfortable. Kureishi wrote the screenplay for My Beautiful Launderette and wrote the play Borderlines, and did lots more stuff, but those are the only two I know anything about.

The White Castle – Orhan Pamuk – I’m pretty sure I didn’t get this book. The whole East/West interaction and self/other whatevering. But it was still awesome. I do like a book that I don’t get but still like to read. Anyways, it was Pamuk. He just writes so well. Turkey! I wanna go.

The Stone Virgins – Yvonne Vera - A tragic, beautiful book, following 2 sisters during liberation and in the post-independence chaos of Zimbabwe. Utterly compelling, utterly devastating.

I started a Dorothy L Parker book (which I had bought at full price! FULL PRICE!) and then left it on the plane to Lisbon. Sigh. It was good, as always.